Delhi HC issues notice to NIA in an appeal of PFI leader in a terror case

New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Friday issued a notice to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in an appeal moved by one Afsar Pasha, accused in a terror case. He is the national secretary of the Popular Front of India (PFI).
His earlier bail plea was rejected by the special NIA Court in November 2024.
Division bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Rajneesh Kumar Gupta issued a notice to the NIA and sought a response in three weeks.
The court has granted two weeks time to the counsel for the appellant to file a rejoinder within two weeks thereafter.
The special public prosecutor for NIA, Rahul Tyagi, accepted the notice. The matter has been listed on May 6 for further hearing.
Afsar Pasha has moved an appeal through advocate Saipan Dastgir Shaikh. It is stated that the order of 30 Nov 2024 has been challenged.
NIA had registered a case in November 2022 against PFI office bearers and members.
An FIR was registered at Police Station NIA New Delhi under Sections 120B and 153A of IPC, Sections 17, 18, 18B, 20, 22B, 38 and 39 of UA (P) Act, 1967.
It is pertained to alleged act of criminal conspiracy for raising or collecting funds by the office bearers and members of PFI from abroad and inside India for committing or getting committed terrorist acts in various parts of the country.
It is stated that Searches were conducted at 39 locations across ten States, including the offices of the PFI. Incriminating documents and digital devices, 432 in number, were recovered which have been sent for forensic examination.
Nineteen persons were arrested on 22.09.2022 namely OMA Salam alias O.M. Abdul Salam, E.M. Abdul Rahiman alias E M, Vice Chairman, Anis Ahmed, Afsar Pasha, V.P. Nazarudheen Elamaram alias Nazaruddin Elamaram, E. Abubakar, Prof. P. KOya alias Kaleem Koya, M. Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Abdul Wahid Sait, A.S. Ismail alias Appamma Ismail, Advocate Mohammed Yousuf, Mohammed Basheer, Shafeer K.P., Jaseer K.P., Shahid Nasir, Waseem Ahmad, Mohammed Shakif, Mohammed Farooq Rehaman alias Muhammed Farooq Ur Rahman, Yasir Hasan alias Yasir Arafat Hasan alias Yasin.
During the investigation, when the accused persons were in police custody, social media extraction of online accounts was carried out, which revealed that they were involved in unlawful activities.
It is alleged that the Bank accounts of the leaders and of the organization revealed payments being made to individuals involved in unlawful activities, namely Ansad Badrudeen, accused in FIR of PS ATS Gomti Nagar Lucknow, had received payments from these accused persons. Periodical payments were made to persons imparting arms training from the bank account of PFI in Hyderabad. Trainees who had been given arms training were selected for the service teams of the PFI. These teams provide security to senior PFI members and also identified members of the RSS / BJP for targeted killings.
As per NIA, statements of eight protected witnesses have been recorded under section 161/164 of the CrPC..As per the same, the ultimate goal of PFI was to bring Islamic Rule in India by 2047 through violence under the guise of Gazwa-E-Hind. (ANI)